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A suitable error message for iPhones

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dgerard at gmail

Oct 6, 2009, 2:12 PM

Post #1 of 8 (940 views)
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A suitable error message for iPhones

Are you *sure* we can't put a narky message when iPhone users click a
video? Adobe do!

http://twitpic.com/kf361

(assuming it's real - can anyone with an iPhone please check?)

- d.

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wikipedia at zog

Oct 6, 2009, 2:21 PM

Post #2 of 8 (886 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

It's real alright.
Michel

2009/10/6 David Gerard <dgerard [at] gmail>

> Are you *sure* we can't put a narky message when iPhone users click a
> video? Adobe do!
>
> http://twitpic.com/kf361
>
> (assuming it's real - can anyone with an iPhone please check?)
>
>
> - d.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikitech-l mailing list
> Wikitech-l [at] lists
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l
>
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dgerard at gmail

Oct 6, 2009, 3:30 PM

Post #3 of 8 (888 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

2009/10/6 Michel Vuijlsteke <wikipedia [at] zog>:
> 2009/10/6 David Gerard <dgerard [at] gmail>

>> Are you *sure* we can't put a narky message when iPhone users click a
>> video? Adobe do!
>> http://twitpic.com/kf361
>> (assuming it's real - can anyone with an iPhone please check?)

> It's real alright.
> Michel

I am of course ONLY JOKING and not advocating seriously that we do this.

Unless it works for Adobe.

Or for the lulz^U

- d.

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scs at eskimo

Oct 6, 2009, 3:35 PM

Post #4 of 8 (887 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

dgerard wrote:
> Are you *sure* we can't put a narky message when iPhone users click a
> video? Adobe do!
>
> http://twitpic.com/kf361

I'm not up on the details of Flash, so this comment may be
misguided, but *if* the reason Apple restricts these unstated
"technologies" is for security reasons, then I'm quite glad Apple
does, and I'd say it's Adobe that deserves the snarky comment.

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Simetrical+wikilist at gmail

Oct 6, 2009, 3:59 PM

Post #5 of 8 (888 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 6:35 PM, Steve Summit <scs [at] eskimo> wrote:
> I'm not up on the details of Flash, so this comment may be
> misguided, but *if* the reason Apple restricts these unstated
> "technologies" is for security reasons, then I'm quite glad Apple
> does, and I'd say it's Adobe that deserves the snarky comment.

Any security considerations that apply to the iPhone probably apply to
Mac desktop as well, so that wouldn't make much sense. Flash doesn't
have a remarkable number of vulnerabilities compared to other large
web-facing programs (like, say, browsers), and for almost all users,
the slight added security threat is worth it.

I imagine the actual issues here involve things like that iPhone/iPod
uses ARM; Flash uses too much battery life; or insufficient money is
going one direction or the other. I would take it for granted that
Apple would like iPhone users to be able to view YouTube.

I would *like* to say that all this just underscores the danger of
proprietary, closed-source technologies like Flash, but of course,
Theora isn't in a very different situation here.

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innocentkiller at gmail

Oct 6, 2009, 4:18 PM

Post #6 of 8 (886 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 6:59 PM, Aryeh Gregor
<Simetrical+wikilist [at] gmail> wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 6:35 PM, Steve Summit <scs [at] eskimo> wrote:
>> I'm not up on the details of Flash, so this comment may be
>> misguided, but *if* the reason Apple restricts these unstated
>> "technologies" is for security reasons, then I'm quite glad Apple
>> does, and I'd say it's Adobe that deserves the snarky comment.
>
> Any security considerations that apply to the iPhone probably apply to
> Mac desktop as well, so that wouldn't make much sense. Flash doesn't
> have a remarkable number of vulnerabilities compared to other large
> web-facing programs (like, say, browsers), and for almost all users,
> the slight added security threat is worth it.
>
> I imagine the actual issues here involve things like that iPhone/iPod
> uses ARM; Flash uses too much battery life; or insufficient money is
> going one direction or the other. I would take it for granted that
> Apple would like iPhone users to be able to view YouTube.
>
> I would *like* to say that all this just underscores the danger of
> proprietary, closed-source technologies like Flash, but of course,
> Theora isn't in a very different situation here.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikitech-l mailing list
> Wikitech-l [at] lists
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l
>

Fwiw, the HTC Dream and HTC Magic (first Android phones) run ARM
processors, so I don't believe that's the sole concern; I believe that the
Palm Pre is on ARM as well, but don't quote me :)

Granted, doing intensive flash stuff will drain your battery on any phone,
but I don't think the processor is the restriction here. I'm not sure how good
the reporting is, but:

"Adobe said that a Flash Player for the iPhone is not being made available
because it uses a just-in-time compiler and virtual machine within a browser
plug-in to play back website content - technologies that aren’t currently
allowed on the iPhone." [1]

-Chad

[1] http://www.gizmag.com/flash-player-101-for-smartphones/13042/

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dgerard at gmail

Oct 6, 2009, 4:22 PM

Post #7 of 8 (883 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

2009/10/7 Chad <innocentkiller [at] gmail>:

> "Adobe said that a Flash Player for the iPhone is not being made available
> because it uses a just-in-time compiler and virtual machine within a browser
> plug-in to play back website content - technologies that aren’t currently
> allowed on the iPhone." [1]

Apple does not like Turing-equivalent machines being available on
their precioussss. They rejected the Commodore 64 emulator for having
the BASIC accessible! Perhaps it was a SECURITY MEASURE in case
someone started WORLD WAR THREE on it. http://is.gd/41eVm

Claiming "security" is about as plausible as their claim they don't
want Ogg because of submarine patents. i.e., in no way whatsoever.

- d.

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paul at ontology2

Oct 7, 2009, 7:59 AM

Post #8 of 8 (873 views)
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Re: A suitable error message for iPhones [In reply to]

David Gerard wrote:
> Are you *sure* we can't put a narky message when iPhone users click a
> video? Adobe do!
>
> http://twitpic.com/kf361
>
> (assuming it's real - can anyone with an iPhone please check?)
>
>
Adobe is the most feared company on the web right now.

Even though Microsoft has the most popular browser, a number of
excellent alternatives exist: Firefox, Safari, Opera, Konquerer, and
Chrome. They don't support 100% of what IE supports, but you can
browse the web all day with them and rarely find a site that they don't
work with.

There are no entirely satisfactory replacements for Flash and
Acrobat, and certainly not cross-platform and widely installed.

On top of all that, Apple and Microsoft both have personal
vendettas against Adobe.

Five years ago web video was buried beneath a three-way battle
between the MicrosoftOnlyMediaPlayer, TheRealBadMediaPlayer, and
TheQuicktimeMediaPlayerThatWorksOccasionally. Publishing video online
would typically mean creating files for all three players, and probably
at 2-4 different quality levels, so you might have 6-12 files. Then
there would be a complex hunk of javascript that would try to guess
which player you had, which would work right... if you were lucky.

Then there was the whole codec nightmare; even if you had the right
player, you probably didn't have the right codec. Although there were
supposedly mechanisms for installing new codecs, you'd usually risk
wrecking your ability to play video at all if you tried to install a codec.

Macromedia (later aquired by Adobe) quietly introduced video
capability in Flash... It was a few versions later when Flash video
players were widespread, and then all of a sudden people realized that
web video could be as simple as pushing "Play" and having the video
really play.

Apple and Microsoft, both of whom have ambitions to control digital
video, will never forgive Adobe.

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